Mango Publishing
Mango Publishing was an American independent book publisher founded in Miami in 2014 and reported to have ceased operations in late 2025.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Mango Publishing was an American independent book publisher established by Christopher McKenney in Miami, Florida, in 2014. The company developed a broad, commercially oriented publishing program spanning nonfiction, self-help, business, science, popular culture, social justice, LGBTQ subjects, feminism, fiction, poetry, young-adult books, and children's publishing. Rather than concentrating on one narrowly defined category, Mango positioned itself as a multi-genre house able to serve both general readers and specialist interest communities. A notable element of Mango's business model was its revenue-sharing arrangement with authors. The publisher stated that writers could receive as much as 50 percent of net sales, a structure intended to distinguish the company from more traditional publishing arrangements and to align publisher and author incentives around the performance of individual titles. The available reference material does not establish that the maximum share applied uniformly across all contracts, so it should be understood as a stated upper limit rather than a universal royalty rate. Mango reported publishing more than one hundred titles per year. Its output included conventional books as well as related products and partnerships. One cited example was its work with Franklin Covey on add-on products such as themed playing-card decks, illustrating an effort to extend publishing concepts into adjacent consumer formats. The company expanded through acquisitions and imprint development. In 2019, it acquired Conari Press from Red Wheel/Weiser. In 2020, it acquired Yellow Pear Press. Other imprints associated with Mango during the period from 2018 to 2025 included Books & Books Press, FIU Business Press, D.O.P.E. (Dreams on Paper Entertainment), The Tiny Press, and Reef Smart Guides. These names indicate a portfolio approach in which distinct editorial identities were used to address different subjects, audiences, and publishing partnerships. Mango received external recognition for its growth. Publishers Weekly named it the fastest-growing independent publisher in the United States in both 2019 and 2020. Those recognitions occurred during the period when the company was adding imprints, broadening its catalog, and acquiring established publishing properties. The available material also describes financial pressure near the end of the company's existence. A second-hand account reported that Mango was shut down by its primary creditor, Lake Michigan Credit Union. Public documents reportedly show that the credit union filed an action against the publisher, but the available reference does not establish the final outcome of that proceeding. Accordingly, the creditor-related account should be treated as reported but not fully resolved in the public record summarized here. Wikipedia identifies Mango Publishing as having shut down in late 2025. No current operating website, successor company, public listing, or continuing parent organization is established by the supplied sources.
History
Mango Publishing was founded in Miami, Florida, in 2014 by Christopher McKenney as an independent book publisher. From its beginning, the company operated across multiple categories rather than limiting itself to a single editorial specialization. Its catalog included nonfiction, self-help, business, science, popular culture, social justice, LGBTQ topics, feminism, fiction, poetry, young-adult books, and children's books. The publisher's operating model included a revenue-sharing arrangement with authors. Mango offered writers up to 50 percent of net sales, according to the reference material. This approach formed part of the company's identity as an independent publisher and represented a more explicitly performance-linked relationship with authors than a simple focus on conventional frontlist publishing. The supplied material does not provide contract-level details or indicate that every author received the maximum share. Mango expanded its scale during the late 2010s and early 2020s. It published more than one hundred titles annually and developed a network of imprints and partnerships. In 2019, Mango acquired Conari Press from Red Wheel/Weiser. In 2020, it acquired Yellow Pear Press. Its associated imprints also included Books & Books Press, FIU Business Press, D.O.P.E. (Dreams on Paper Entertainment), The Tiny Press, and Reef Smart Guides, which was associated with the company during the period from 2018 to 2025. The company also pursued publishing-adjacent products. Its partnership with Franklin Covey included add-on products such as themed playing-card decks. This suggests that Mango sought to package editorial content in formats beyond ordinary books, although the available sources do not provide sales figures or a detailed account of the partnership's commercial results. Mango's growth was recognized by Publishers Weekly, which named it the fastest-growing independent publisher in the United States in both 2019 and 2020. The recognition coincided with the company's increasing title output, acquisitions, imprint expansion, and broader genre coverage. The final phase of the company's history is associated with financial difficulty. A second-hand report said that Mango was shut down by Lake Michigan Credit Union, described as its primary creditor. Public documents reportedly confirm that the credit union filed against the publisher, but the sources summarized here do not state the result of that action. Wikipedia records the company as having shut down in late 2025. Because no definitive court outcome or detailed insolvency record is supplied, the creditor account should be described cautiously rather than characterized as a confirmed bankruptcy judgment. No successor, continuing owner, or active corporate operation is identified in the available material.
- 2025
Reported shutdown
[1]Wikipedia reports that Mango Publishing shut down in late 2025.
- 2020
Yellow Pear Press acquisition
[1]Mango acquired Yellow Pear Press.
- 2020
Second fastest-growing independent publisher recognition
[1]Publishers Weekly again named Mango the fastest-growing independent publisher in the United States.
- 2019
Conari Press acquisition
[1]Mango acquired Conari Press from Red Wheel/Weiser.
- 2019
First fastest-growing independent publisher recognition
[1]Publishers Weekly named Mango the fastest-growing independent publisher in the United States.
- 2018
Additional imprint development
[1]Reef Smart Guides and other specialist imprints were associated with Mango during the company's expansion period.
- 2014
Mango Publishing is founded
[1]Christopher McKenney founded Mango Publishing as an independent publisher in Miami, Florida.
Products and positioning
A growth-oriented independent publisher with a broad, socially and commercially diverse catalog, an author revenue-sharing model, and a portfolio of specialist imprints.
Books · 2014
General nonfiction
Mango's nonfiction program covered a wide range of subjects, including practical advice, social issues, science, culture, business, and personal development. The breadth of the list was a defining feature of the publisher rather than a narrowly specialized editorial focus.
Books · 2014
Self-help and personal development books
The publisher issued self-help and personal-development titles as part of its general-interest catalog. These books formed part of Mango's commercially oriented nonfiction offering, alongside business and lifestyle subjects.
Books · 2014
Young-adult and children's books
Mango published books for younger audiences, including young-adult and children's titles. The available source confirms these categories but does not provide a complete list of series, authors, or leading individual titles.
Imprint · 2019
Conari Press
Conari Press became part of Mango's portfolio after its 2019 acquisition from Red Wheel/Weiser. The supplied sources do not detail the full post-acquisition publishing program or its individual best-known titles.
Imprint · 2020
Yellow Pear Press
Yellow Pear Press was acquired by Mango in 2020 and added to the company's collection of publishing properties. Specific catalog continuity after the acquisition is not established by the available material.
Guidebooks · 2018
Reef Smart Guides
Reef Smart Guides was one of the specialist imprints associated with Mango during the 2018–2025 period. The available source identifies the imprint but does not provide enough detail to describe its individual guide titles or markets.
Adjacent publishing products
Themed playing-card decks
Through a partnership with Franklin Covey, Mango participated in creating book-related add-on products including themed playing-card decks. These products extended the publisher's work beyond standard book formats.
Brand decisions
2025
Cessation of operationsOtherBackground
The available reference describes financial pressure and reports that Lake Michigan Credit Union, identified as Mango's primary creditor, filed against the publisher.
Action taken
Mango Publishing reportedly shut down in late 2025.
Aftermath
The company is treated as defunct. The outcome of the creditor's filing is not established in the supplied public-record summary, and no successor organization is identified.
2020
Acquisition of Yellow Pear PressM&ABackground
Mango continued to broaden its publishing portfolio after acquiring Conari Press.
Action taken
Mango acquired Yellow Pear Press.
Aftermath
Yellow Pear Press became another property associated with Mango's expanding publishing portfolio. No transaction value or subsequent financial performance is available in the supplied sources.
2019
Acquisition of Conari PressM&ABackground
Mango was expanding its catalog and imprint portfolio as an independent publisher.
Action taken
Mango acquired Conari Press from Red Wheel/Weiser.
Aftermath
The acquisition added Conari Press to Mango's group of publishing properties. The available sources do not quantify the transaction or provide detailed post-acquisition results.
Recent events
- 2025
Mango Publishing reportedly ceases operations[1]
Bankruptcy
Wikipedia reports that Mango Publishing shut down in late 2025. A second-hand account linked the shutdown to action by primary creditor Lake Michigan Credit Union, while the available public record does not establish the final outcome of the creditor's filing.
- 2020
Mango Publishing is again recognized as the fastest-growing independent publisher in the United States[1]
Other
Publishers Weekly gave Mango the same fastest-growing independent publisher distinction for a second consecutive year.
- 2020
Mango Publishing acquires Yellow Pear Press[1]
M&A
Mango acquired Yellow Pear Press, adding another publishing property to its expanding portfolio.
- 2019
Mango Publishing is recognized as the fastest-growing independent publisher in the United States[1]
Other
Publishers Weekly named Mango Publishing the fastest-growing independent publisher in the United States.
- 2019
Mango Publishing acquires Conari Press[1]
M&A
Mango acquired Conari Press from Red Wheel/Weiser as part of its expansion of publishing properties and imprints.
Sources1 sources
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